SPOOKTOBER chapter 22:
A Blumhouse film
After seeing this, it almost seems that the better movies Blumhouse distributes come out silently and sort of under the radar - "Soft and Quiet" last year, and "The Passenger" this year. They both are, perhaps, not straight up horror, but to me they're made into ones by ways of disturbing themes and visceral violence. "The Passenger" is so far my second favorite horror film of 2023.
Carter Smith ("The Ruins") helms a script by Jack Stanley, which sees a young man in early 20's, beat down, anxious, with no self-esteem and otherwise an absolute mess with a certain trauma in the past start his work day in a remote fast food joint. A particularly stuck-up colleague bullies him so much, that another, more mysterious colleague, has enough of that and goes to the car to get his double-barrel. What follows is a life-changing (for the characters) and thought-provoking (for us) on-the-road thriller, with spurts of high octane violence, dark topics of conservation, and thick, down-beat atmosphere.
While, perhaps, never outlining a bigger point, "The Passenger" is written and directed compellingly, and has excellent production design, photography and aesthetic. What's even more amazing, are the two lead performances. The timid, silent young man portrayed by Johnny Berchtold, and the impulsive, equally wise and demented Benson - by Kyle Gallner, who is slowly becoming a favorite via some good indie and horror flicks ("Scream", "Smile", "The Cleansing Hour", "Red State" etc.).
It's my favorite kind of horror, all proposed and executed by highly human forces and characters. "The Passenger" bears similar vibes to such great and effective horror films like "Speak No Evil" or "Coming Home in the Dark", and these have a tendency to stay with me for a while. This one ends on a rather uplifting note for its kind, in a very good way though. My rating: 8/10.
After seeing this, it almost seems that the better movies Blumhouse distributes come out silently and sort of under the radar - "Soft and Quiet" last year, and "The Passenger" this year. They both are, perhaps, not straight up horror, but to me they're made into ones by ways of disturbing themes and visceral violence. "The Passenger" is so far my second favorite horror film of 2023.
Carter Smith ("The Ruins") helms a script by Jack Stanley, which sees a young man in early 20's, beat down, anxious, with no self-esteem and otherwise an absolute mess with a certain trauma in the past start his work day in a remote fast food joint. A particularly stuck-up colleague bullies him so much, that another, more mysterious colleague, has enough of that and goes to the car to get his double-barrel. What follows is a life-changing (for the characters) and thought-provoking (for us) on-the-road thriller, with spurts of high octane violence, dark topics of conservation, and thick, down-beat atmosphere.
While, perhaps, never outlining a bigger point, "The Passenger" is written and directed compellingly, and has excellent production design, photography and aesthetic. What's even more amazing, are the two lead performances. The timid, silent young man portrayed by Johnny Berchtold, and the impulsive, equally wise and demented Benson - by Kyle Gallner, who is slowly becoming a favorite via some good indie and horror flicks ("Scream", "Smile", "The Cleansing Hour", "Red State" etc.).
It's my favorite kind of horror, all proposed and executed by highly human forces and characters. "The Passenger" bears similar vibes to such great and effective horror films like "Speak No Evil" or "Coming Home in the Dark", and these have a tendency to stay with me for a while. This one ends on a rather uplifting note for its kind, in a very good way though. My rating: 8/10.